Tuesday January 22, 2008

Half Full-The Overhaul

Half Full-The Overhaul
One of my favorite TV shows is “Curb Your Enthusiasm” on HBO. It is an ad-libbed comedy about the life of Seinfeld creator Larry David. If you have not seen the show, I encourage you to rent or buy a past season or two on DVD. If you liked “Seinfeld”, you will enjoy “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

The cover of the box set for the DVD of Season 3 of the show has the star, Larry David, starring at a glass of water. David is puzzled as he studies the glass that is either half full or half empty.

This leads me to today’s blog and the puzzle of Clemson basketball as it pertains to free throw shooting.

Many will point to a 10-23 effort that came out to 43.5% against Duke on Saturday. Believe me there is plenty of ammunition in the double barrel shotgun you can use to shoot negatives at the free throw shooting efforts of the Tigers. One could also point out the fact that Cliff Hammonds is now shooting 34.5% from the stripe. You could make the statement that the Tigers are shooting 63.1% from the line this season which is last in the ACC. You would also be able to factually point out that Clemson is currently ranked 280th out of 328 teams in Division I basketball in terms of free throw shooting.

All of those are true but only half of the story and the half empty version.

For us eternal optimists there is hope and positive news. The half full view would tell us a different story. This side would tell us that Clemson set the record last season for the lowest free throw shooting in ACC history with a 57.8% clip. Last season Clemson was ranked 324th out of 325 Division I teams in college basketball in free throw shooting so the optimist side in me says that the Tigers have improved 44 spots in terms of the stat from last year to this year.

Being the 280th best free throw shooting team in the country is nothing to be proud of but it is better than being number 325. I don’t like where we are but it is better than where we were.

Last year we all watched the 57.8% ACC record and 63.1% is nothing to be proud of but it is an improvement of 5.3%.

Half full is hard in terms of watching the Tigers shoot free throws but that is the attitude I have chosen. In fact I think the entire program needs to take the same approach. I think the entire program needs to have an overhaul in this area.

Free throw shooting has to do with some mechanics and some technique. Balance, form, rotation, rhythm and other factors should certainly be paid attention to in full detail. But confidence is the most important part of the equation. Confidence is the biggest factor in Hammonds shooting 34.5%. He has issues in his form but Hammonds is better than 34.5%. As a freshman he shot 65% from the line. As a sophomore he dropped to 57% but last year he improved to 64%. Coming into this season Hammonds was a career 62% free throw shooter. This is not good for a guard but is 28% higher than he is shooting this season.

Confidence has to be the only explanation for K.C. Rivers struggles at the line this season. As a freshman Rivers was 21 of 25 from the line which comes out to 84%. His 74% last season was a drop off but still above average and respectable. This year he is shooting just 65% from the line or 11% lower than his career average of 76% he was shooting coming into this season.

This free throw shooting thing has taken on a life of its own so again I believe a complete overhaul is needed. While some of the Tigers have some mechanical issues with their free throws, I maintain that most of the problems now are mental.

As fans we can be part of the problem or part of the solution. I believe we can do the following things to help:

1. Whenever the Tigers miss a free throw we should not sigh and moan. This is a negative energy that only adds pressure to the next attempt.

2. If the Tigers miss a few in a row then make one, we should not give the sarcastic applause or applaud with relief. Again, this only contributes to the perception.

3. We need to cheer louder on defense to make up for our inefficiencies in other areas. If we accept that our free throws cannot be counted on then we can move forward and be positive to help in an area where we do excel. If Clemson cannot win a game on the free throw line then we must try to help them win in another area.

4. We need to stop spending so much time talking about it in negative terms. The negative energy resonates around Littlejohn, the campus and the community. We need to stop thinking about it and talking about it. The players know they are struggling but don’t need to be reminded of it.

Maybe we should turn to the serenity prayer which asks:

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Everyone’s attitude must change. We need to will the ball in the basket. We need to have positive emotion and energy as the next Tiger steps to the free throw line. We need to have the attitude that when teams foul Clemson then we will make them pay at the line instead of holding our breath in anticipation of another miss. We need to stroll to the free throw line with some swagger.

OK. Here is the half full part of me and the optimist speaking. I personally guarantee three things for Clemson basketball:

1. Clemson will beat Wake Forest tonight.

2. The Tigers will shoot at least 66% from the free throw line for the season.

3. Oliver Purnell will have his club in the NCAA tournament.

Power of positive thinking will prevail. It’s all about confidence and it all starts tonight. I am not going to dwell on the negatives anymore in terms of our free throws. Starting tonight we can overhaul the entire mindset.

Who’s with me?

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